Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Sunwoo felt a slight vibration and slowly opened his eyes. His face felt a bit itchy, and he sensed a warm breeze brushing against him.
‘What’s going on...?’
Still groggy and blinking in confusion, he suddenly realized that he had fallen asleep in a car.
"A car? Oh...!"
As Sunwoo wondered why he was in a car, he remembered why he was there. He had been forcibly taken by Kang Jinwook, who had driven like a maniac, prompting Sunwoo to close his eyes to escape reality. At some point, he must have fallen asleep.
He quickly looked to his side, but the driver’s seat was empty.
‘What the...?’
Sunwoo hurriedly glanced around the car and spotted Kang Jinwook standing a short distance away, with his back turned. Only then did Sunwoo notice that the passenger door had been open all along.
The warm temperature he felt was because time had passed since they left, and the midday heat had risen significantly.
"If you’re awake, get out."
Kang Jinwook, without even turning around, commanded in a stern voice. Sunwoo instinctively stepped out of the car and took a quick look around.
In front of him was an unfamiliar building—more accurately, an unfamiliar wall. The place he lived in was luxurious, but the atmosphere here was on another level entirely.
A tall red brick wall stood in front of him, with sharp conifers peeking out over the top—those expensive red pines that cost a fortune.
He couldn’t see the back of the property, but he could easily imagine what it might look like.
It was probably like the well-maintained gardens and grand two- or three-story mansions you see in dramas or movies.
"Follow me."
As Sunwoo stared blankly at the top of the wall, Kang Jinwook started walking, still gripping Sunwoo's wrist.
"Ah!"
Kang Jinwook walked briskly, pulling Sunwoo along, and nodded toward a man in a black suit who had been watching them with a stern expression.
"Move the car."
"Yes, sir!"
The man quickly passed by them, heading to park the car elsewhere, following Kang Jinwook’s order. Kang Jinwook passed through a half-open silver-gray iron gate, and naturally, Sunwoo followed him through the door.
After climbing five or six marble steps, they arrived at a spacious and beautiful garden, just as Sunwoo had imagined.
There were several expensive, winding red pines, some beautiful summer flowers whose names Sunwoo didn’t know, and lush green grass.
A small pond had an arching wooden bridge over it, creating a picture-perfect scene.
But unfortunately, Sunwoo didn’t have time to admire the garden leisurely. Kang Jinwook was too busy dragging him along by the arm.
Finally, they arrived at a two-story detached house—or rather, a mansion, given its size and scale, which were even more impressive than Sunwoo had anticipated.
The building exuded an unmistakable aura of wealth, and Sunwoo couldn’t help but think as much while looking at its imposing exterior.
As Sunwoo hesitated, Kang Jinwook boldly entered through the open front door. Naturally, Sunwoo, still being held by Kang Jinwook, had no choice but to follow.
Once inside, they entered a grand foyer, and after passing through a transparent door and walking down a hallway, Sunwoo was greeted by a bright, white light that filled his vision.
"Ah!"
Sunwoo reflexively closed his eyes against the sudden brightness. When he opened them again, he let out a gasp of awe at the scene before him.
"Wow...!"
But his wonder was short-lived, as Kang Jinwook was still holding his arm, preventing him from stopping to take in the view.
After walking down a wide hallway, they entered a living room as large as a sports field. The high, large windows offered a view of the garden they had just passed.
Kang Jinwook pushed Sunwoo onto an ivory leather sofa that looked like it could easily seat twenty people.
"Oof!"
Sunwoo stumbled and fell onto the sofa, surprised at how firm it was despite its luxurious appearance.
Rubbing his sore bottom, Sunwoo then held his wrist, which had been gripped by Kang Jinwook.
The force with which Kang Jinwook had grabbed him was so strong that Sunwoo’s wrist had turned red.
"What’s this about?"
The two of them glared at each other, trying to calm their excited breaths.
"Is that true?"
Kang Jinwook was the first to speak.
"Yes."
"Then why did you run away?"
"I didn’t run away!"
"If not, then why did you go there?"
"Just, well..."
Should I tell him I went there to live?
Caught off guard by the thought, Sunwoo quickly changed the subject.
"I wanted to clear my head."
"Clear your head? What were you thinking about?"
Kang Jinwook’s question seemed to imply that he still suspected Sunwoo had been contemplating something drastic.
"For the last time, that’s not what it was!"
Sunwoo couldn’t tell the truth, but he also needed to dispel the misunderstanding.
Frustrated, Sunwoo pounded his chest, then quickly remembered and gently rubbed his belly.
‘I wasn’t angry at you. You know that, right?’
He even apologized to the unborn child, who couldn’t yet hear him.
"Enough! From now on, you’re staying here."
Wait, didn’t he say that earlier too?
"So, what’s the reason? Why do I have to stay here?"
Sunwoo glanced around the overly luxurious interior. It was obvious that this was Kang Jinwook’s house.
"Because this way, I can keep an eye on you and make sure you’re not up to anything. Just accept that for now."
"I told you, I’m not going to kill myself!"
The two of them repeated the same exchange as before. Their eyes were filled with mutual irritation.
"Why are you doing this to me?"
Finally, Sunwoo asked the question he had been wanting to ask ever since Kang Jinwook had dragged him here. He had no recollection of any such interactions between Kang Jinwook and Choi Sunwoo in the original story.
In the entire novel, there were only three instances where they interacted, and even then, the total didn’t amount to more than a page.
But now, it felt like he had experienced a full episode with Kang Jinwook, and Sunwoo was not happy about it.
"What?"
But Kang Jinwook looked at Sunwoo as if he didn’t understand why he was asking such a thing.
"Why are you so interested in me? You’re not normally like this, are you?"
"You said you lost your memory, right?"
Kang Jinwook answered Sunwoo’s question with another question.
"Oh..."
A look of discomfort briefly crossed Sunwoo’s face.
‘Oh, right. I’m supposed to be pretending to have amnesia.’
He had almost forgotten.
"I really don’t remember anything. But even without my memory, I know you’re not the type to worry about me and follow me around like this."
Sunwoo quickly regained his composure and played along. Kang Jinwook looked at Sunwoo thoughtfully. It seemed that Kang Jinwook was only now reflecting on his own actions.
‘Right. Why am I so concerned about Choi Sunwoo?’
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